HackerYou

HackerYou

About

About

HackerYou offers 9-week, full-time front end web development courses, and 6-week, part-time web development courses and in Toronto, Canada. HackerYou’s full-time Front-End Web Development Immersive bootcamp covers HTML5 & CSS3, responsive design, JavaScript, jQuery, API and WordPress as well as non-technical skills like personal branding, finding and managing clients, and growing a business. HackerYou's part-time courses are Web Development Fundamentals & Advanced Web Development, JavaScript Fundamentals & Advanced JavaScript, UX Fundamentals & Advanced UX, and a Full-Stack Masterclass. Part-time classes either run in the evenings, twice a week for 6 weeks or on weekends, once a week for 6 weeks.

The programs focus on hands-on, project-based learning from industry-leading professionals with small classes and a 10:1 ratio of students to instructors. By the end of the web development programs, students have a great website and portfolio, and the knowledge, tools, and skills needed to succeed as developers. For the job seekers, HackerYou also helps with crafting a technical resume, nailing an interview, and negotiating their salary.

HackerYou is ideal for people looking to climb the corporate ladder, upgrade their skills, or start a new career. Prospective applicants will need to fill out an online form describing their background and experience, and participate in an interview.

Courses

Courses

Advanced JavaScript (Part-time)

The course will builds upon the JavaScript and jQuery fundamentals learned in the introductory course. In the course, we will cover advanced topics such as building modular and reusable code, working with HTML5 audio and video, integrating Google Maps, and most importantly working with AJAX and JSON APIS to pull in data from other websites and services. As always, everything is taught through a series of hands-on exercises, code-alongs and projects.
Graduates of JavaScript Fundamentals are eligible to take Advanced JavaScript for only $500.

Financing

Deposit

N/A

Getting in

Minimum Skill Level

Strong understanding of the basics of JavaScript & jQuery required to take this class.

Placement Test

Yes

Interview

Yes

Advanced UX Design (Part-time)

In this course, students will explore advanced topics such as emotional design, empathy mapping, systematic design, human-centred design and user testing. Students will improve and apply their skills to effectively define problems, scope target audiences, iterate, conduct “discovery phases,” conduct design research, prototype, critique, handle errors, and future map, among others. Lessons will be discovered by participants through hands-on, project based exercises. For their capstone project, students will use design thinking to solve a problem of their choosing, giving each student the opportunity to build a portfolio piece relevant to their interests. Have an idea for an app? Use this project to finally give it the attention it deserves by taking the idea through every step of the UX Design process. You’ll create a unique portfolio piece that showcases your UX skills - and maybe even a product ready for development!
Graduates of UX Design Fundamentals are eligible to take Advanced UX Design for only $500.

Advanced Web Development (Part-time)

This course will give students the skills needed to design and create a responsive website for laptops, phones, tablets, and beyond using the latest HTML5 and CSS3 techniques. It will also dive deeper into CSS, Flexbox, transitions, animations, SASS, JavaScript and jQuery and teach participants the very latest and greatest techniques for creating even richer web experiences.
Graduates of Web Development Fundamentals are eligible to take Advanced Web Development for only $500.

Financing

Deposit

N/A

Getting in

Minimum Skill Level

Students must have basic HTML and CSS knowledge, or have completed Introduction to Web Development (or equivalent) to take this course.

Placement Test

No

Interview

Yes

Full Stack Masterclass (Part-time)

This unique course is designed to help bootcamp graduates prepare for the next stage in their career.
You did it - through hard work and dedication, you became a professional developer sans computer science degree. But you know that there are things people learn in Computer Science programs that would be useful to you. If you could combine your practical web development skills with some of these foundational Computer Science concepts, all while applying what you’re learning to develop full-stack development skills, you’d be almost unstoppable.
Enter HackerYou’s Full-Stack Masterclass. Using a format that’s entirely new to HackerYou based on what we know bootcamp graduates want and need, this 57-hour, nine-week part-time course is designed to fill in your gaps, push you to level up and ultimately narrow the gap between you and the Full-Stack Developer you admire most.

Financing

Deposit

N/A

Getting in

Minimum Skill Level

Code 2175). Freelance web developers are welcome to apply.
This course is ideal for Bootcamp graduates (whether you attended HackerYou’s bootcamp or another one) and self-taught developers.

Placement Test

Yes

Interview

Yes

JavaScript Fundamentals (Part-time)

Learning JavaScript and jQuery will take your websites to the next level by making them dynamic and interactive. This course will give any HTML & CSS developer the skills they need to unlock the full potential of front-end web development. This course will start with an introduction to JavaScript and the fundamentals of the programming language. We will then work our way through understanding and using jQuery, a JavaScript library, to select, interact and manipulate elements on our page.

Financing

Deposit

N/A

Getting in

Minimum Skill Level

Strong grasp of HTML & CSS

Placement Test

Yes

Interview

Yes

UX Design Fundamentals (Part-time)

Forget about other UX courses you’ve heard about - this course goes far beyond just wire-framing. In this course, you’ll dive into topics such as cognitive design patterns in UI & UX, micro-interactions principles, personals and mental models, interaction design foundations, the art & science of interviewing users, and finally, visual language principles, and more. As always, lessons will be discovered by participants through a series of hands-on, project-based exercises, and through a final project where students will have the chance to use design thinking to solve a specific, real-world problem of their choosing. This will help bring all the concepts together with an original, portfolio-worthy display of their UX skills.

Financing

Deposit

N/A

Getting in

Minimum Skill Level

This course is perfect for people working as designers or developers, as well as graduates of our part-time design or web development courses.

Placement Test

Yes

Interview

Yes

Web Development Fundamentals (Part-time)

Join us for HackerYou's most popular part-time course. You'll learn HTML5 and CSS3, build websites and collaborate with a group of people just like you – people who know that learning to code is going to help them take their careers to the next level. With an intense focus on hands-on, project-based learning, this course will give you the opportunity to learn directly from some of Toronto’s most talented developers and and discover how to create beautiful, functional websites from scratch.

Financing

Deposit

N/A

Getting in

Minimum Skill Level

This course is designed for beginners.

Placement Test

No

Interview

Yes

Web Development Immersive (Bootcamp)

At HackerYou’s nine-week bootcamp, you’ll learn HTML5, CSS3, responsive design, JavaScript, jQuery, APIs, React and Firebase.– all the skills you need to become a junior web developer. The program is nine weeks long, during which you’ll join us at HackerYou HQ five days a week from 10 am to 6 pm daily. We’ve assembled an all-star team of talented professional developers and they can’t wait to teach you everything they know. With 315 hours of class time and hundreds of exercises, plus a major project assignment every step of the way designed to help you to develop the skills you’ll need to succeed as a junior web developer, you’ll leave HackerYou’s bootcamp not only with a certificate, but also ready to jump into a brand new role. Get ready for the learning experience of a lifetime.

Financing

Deposit

N/A

Getting in

Minimum Skill Level

Ontario Secondary School Diploma or equivalent, or for Mature Students, you must have achieved a score of 18 on the Wonderlic Mature Test.

I have successfully completed both the part-time Intro to HTML/CSS and full-time Bootcamp program in HackerYou. You're reading this review because you might be on the verge of taking a part-time program (maybe even the full-time program).

Well, here's the short of it: JUST DO IT.

If you were looking for something more, well..

I decided to make a career change from the fitness industry to something else. With a bit of research and "googling", I came to find out about HackerYou. Before fully committing to the Bootcamp program, I decided to take the Intro program first to see if coding was for me. With HackerYou's amazing space and style of teaching, I immediately wanted in into the full-time program.

Community:

One thing I loved about HackerYou was the community and the amount of collaboration there was among the students (and even the instructors!). HackerYou has created an environment that allows you to reach your maximum potential when it comes to learning. Everyone just wants to help you out - and you eventually want to start helping everyone out. It's a "we're all in this together" vibe.

Instructors:

Heather, the CEO, has been able to acquire the most helpful, caring, and dedicated instructors I've ever met. These group of people just want everything to do with your successes! They are extremely patient and always try to enhance your problem solving skills rather than just giving you the answers.

Space:

For the 3 months that I've been there full-time, it just felt like home. HackerYou is super cosy and has all the furniture to get you coding with comfort. Since my cohort, HackerYou has expanded and they're only getting bigger!

Overall experience:

It is without a doubt that HackerYou has successfully helped me transition to a new career. Their hands-on approach and 10:1 students to instructor ratio has allowed me to learn enjoyably at ease.

I would highly recommend going to HackerYou to anyone that's looking to advance in their career, learn something new, or even make a career change. They'll take care of you from day 1 of school to your day 1 in your new job!

HackerYou changed my life in such an incredible way. I came from a non-tech background (English Lit) and I can say with absolutely certainty that I was encouraged, challenged and taught so well that I was able to sign my contract with a company working as a developer while I was still in the bootcamp. I took the bootcamp in 2015 and have been working as a developer for 2 years.

It's not just that they teach you the skills but they teach you how to think about coding so that you can find your way in the real working world afterwards. Plus, the slack community is always there to answer your additional questions should you have them.

It's not just about the course, it's also about the community. The alumni who are always around to help with questions really makes the place stand apart from all the other bootcamps. Everyone from my cohort found a job and I still spend so much time with friends that I made while I was there. If you are considering taking a bootcamp, don't hesitate anymore. This is the place!

I don't think I could possibly say enough great things about HackerYou - the programs, instructors, community and support far surpassed every expectation I had.

I initally took the part-time web development course, but after night one knew I would be applying to take the bootcamp and it was the best possible decision I think I've ever made. I was offered a job as a developer before even finishing the course based largely on the reputation HackerYou has made for itself within the development community. While it's hard work the instructors are always there for you, as are all of the past cohorts, and your own classmates. Everyone is rooting for you before, during and after the bootcamp, which I believe lends to both the school and the students success.

I have a new group of friends and colleagues, a sense of community and pride for that community, and have tripled my salary since completion of the bootcamp. If you're considering HackerYou - just jump, you won't regret it!

The course is good. The instructor I had in 2016 (Wes Bos) is very knowledgable and an all-around nice guy. He has a good flow to the course with lots of code-alongs, examples, etc. The mentors that I had are also very helpful and know their stuff. Classroom size was around 30. The facilities at HY are nice as well.

While the course alone won’t make you a pro, it gives you a great learning base to start with, which gives you the ability to feel confident in moving forward on your own. As a freelancer, I’ve been applying it to WordPress based solutions (the WP REST API, leveraging browser storage and cookies for a sort-of temporary “shopping cart”, accessing APIs etc), and having fun with it by writing Twitterbots using nodeJS.

I decided to take this course plus the p/t WordPress course (also in 2016) as the evenings really fit my schedule.

HackerYou is one of the best investments I have ever made. I started out modifying WordPress themes and felt like I reached a plateau with my learning but didn't want to go back to University again because I felt the investment wasn't worth the reward and still had about 30k in student loans that I needed to pay off.

After taking the HTML/CSS and Javascript/jQuery workshops I decided to dive in head first. One late night I applied to do the HackerYou 9 week full time front end development bootcamp. I was part of the first cohort through the program and it was the best investment I ever made. From that point I have gone on to work with big and small companies ranging from MetaLab Design to Apple. All of that came with a crazy amount of hard work but I have also attended three more part time programs through HackerYou including the Design Course, Ruby on Rails course, and now I am taking the Full Stack course. Since January 2014 (now Sept 2016), I have seen a significant increase in my salary, overall day to day happiness and continue to achieve many of my personal goals.

HackerYou also gave me the tools and skills I needed to become a maker in place of a consumer. The instructors are supportive and the curriculum is constantly changing to keep up with the latest technologies. If you're looking for a career change I highly recommend HackerYou.

9-week front-end development boot camp in Toronto that provides a good foundation for those interested in front-end development as a career. Excellent instructors and a great intro to development. Expect a large time commitment over the course of these 9 weeks. Lots of in-class exercises, group work and portfolio projects. Highly recommended for individuals seeking to enter front-end development who don't want to spend the time and money on full-stack programs.

HackerYou definitely accepts all students from different academic backgrounds. It doesn't matter what you studied previously, the curriculum is structured to build your skills and create a solid foundation in web development. The pace of the course allows you absorb the knowledge each week and if you get stuck, you have teaching assistants to help you out. The awesome part is that you don't have to wait until the next class to get help on an issue you ran into outside of class. The teaching assistants are available through the slack channel and will try to respond back to you as soon as possible.

Whether it's to gain personal knowledge in the field or if you're looking to transition into a new career. Hackeryou is a great place to begin your journey and would definitely recommend this course for anyone who has an interest in web development.

Great school! Their purpose is to make you job ready in 9 weeks, and they do a exceptional job. I made a career switch from a completely unrelated field within one year, but it could have been 6 months had I gone to this school earlier. They teach you what you need to know then help you get a job, although the job offers and knowledge from the course is directly correlated with how much effort you put into learning and job seeking.

Absolutely love the management within the school, the curriculum is very good and teaches what you need to know for a job in the field, they have a nice building and great location, and the atmosphere within the school is very warm and friendly. There was one instructor that I felt didn't understand the code as much as others, but that is my only qualm.

I chose this school due to the programs focus on the front end, lower cost, opportunity for scholarship, and because the CEO is an awesome person. Highly recommended!

I took the part time web dev course. It spanned 12 weeks and they flew by!

The community ie Mentors and other students are extremely helpful and are an amazing resource. The flow and direction of the course was extremely well thought out and helped me gain enough skill and confidence to enter into the full time web dev course.

Take this course if you are new to coding and want to up your skills or create them!

Enrolling at HackerYou was one of my best decisions. I was able to learn a new set of skills from great instructors, find a full-time job, and join a great community. I would highly recommend it to anybody who wants to get into web development.

Welcome to our last monthly coding bootcamp news roundup of 2016! Each month, we look at all the happenings from the coding bootcamp world from new bootcamps to fundraising announcements, to interesting trends we’re talking about in the office. This December, we heard about a bootcamp scholarship from Uber, employers who are happily hiring bootcamp grads, investments from New York State and a Tokyo-based staffing firm, diversity in tech, and as usual, new coding schools, courses, and campuses!

Welcome to the September 2016 Course Report monthly coding bootcamp news roundup! Each month, we look at all the happenings from the coding bootcamp world from new bootcamps to big fundraising announcements, to interesting trends. Of course, we cover our 2016 Outcomes and Demographics Report (we spent a ton of time on this one and hope everyone gets a chance to read it)! Other trends include growth of the industry, increasing diversity in tech through bootcamps, plus news about successful bootcamp alumni, and new schools and campuses. Read below or listen to our latest Coding Bootcamp News Roundup Podcast!

Canadian bootcamps are working hard to develop the talent needed to keep up with Canada’s growing tech hubs. StartUp Genome ranks Toronto and Vancouver amongst the top 20 startup ecosystems in the world. The Canadian tech economy as a whole is being fueled by thriving companies such as Shopify, HootSuite, Kik, Wattpad, and Erkem. Their success has generated a lot of interest among investors.

In 2016, $157 million was invested into 418 Canadian companies by angel investors, according to the National Angel Capital Organization 2016 Angel Investing Report.

Ahmed Omran is a passionate educator, web developer, and graduate of HackerYou in Toronto. Here, Ahmed describes "Learning Velocity," a measure of bootcamp efficacy, and how bootcamps can help their students accelerate through the course. Whether you're a student looking for advice or a bootcamp administrator looking to improve your students’ learning velocity, Ahmed is always available for a chat. Feel free to reach out to him on Twitter.

I was part of HackerYou’s first immersive development program as a student and later helped build the curriculum for subsequent cohorts. If there is one thing that I believe people should really focus on in bootcamps it's Learning Velocity. It's an informal measure of how much a person learns per unit of time. Keeping a high and consistent learning velocity is crucial.

If a student gets stuck then the learning stops and in a bootcamp environment students can't afford to fall behind. The learning obstacle needs to be dealt with right away. The student should of course try to "figure it out" but if it’s been 20 minutes and there is no progress then it’s time to ask for help. Taking enough time to figure it out -- without efficient help -- results in stress, tension and demotivation.

If the student is getting frustrated it's because they are not seeing the options that are available to them. They need someone to widen the lens by asking questions that lead to more options. A teacher/mentor/peer needs to use "growth responses" to point the student in the right direction. Answers get the student unstuck once but growth responses help the learner see how to navigate problems in a repeatable way.

Not all bootcamp experiences are equal. If you're considering applying to a program then you need to do your research and find out if the bootcamp has the proper support system. Find out if the bootcamp uses timely growth responses to keep learning velocity high. Ask them if they are committed to your learning velocity and what concrete steps do they take to accomplish this commitment.

Once you are immersed in the intense bootcamp experience make full use of the support system. Ask for help and advice as much as possible, ask questions about the material, and ask questions about your interests beyond the official curriculum. Don’t let pride, shyness or anything else get in the way of your learning. Your teachers, mentors and peers are there for a short period of time to help you so use the support system unabashedly.

To give you an example, HackerYou has a 1-to-8 mentor to student ratio and they use an app that my team developed to manage student questions efficiently. When HY students are working on a project and they get stuck, they communicate to everyone that they're stuck and the support system (mentors, teachers, peers) kicks in to get them help within minutes.

Bootcamps are a big departure from traditional education. Their immersive, intense instruction style has the potential to change our mainstream education system forever. But this is only if the proper structures are developed to ensure learning velocity stays high and no one falls behind or drops out who is genuinely trying.